A Fantasy football party is a fantastic way to combine two of everyone’s favorite things: Friends and football. This year, have the perfect fantasy football draft party to kick off the season right!
In New York City, space is obviously at a premium. When you want to get a large group of friends together for your fantasy football draft, sometimes the constraints of apartment living means you have to reserve space elsewhere.
There is a list of things your group needs, including but not limited to: Wi-Fi, televisions (preferably large flat screens), comfortable seating, and more. So where do you go to find the best bar for Fantasy Football Draft day?
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According to any Vegas bookie, the odds of you enjoying your time at The Winslow are solidly in your favor. Too bad the same can’t be said for your Fantasy Football team odds.
How to Get Started in Fantasy Football
If you are interested in throwing a fantasy football draft party, you must first have a fantasy football league. If you are already in one, contact your commissioner and offer to host a draft party. If you aren’t in a league, it is easy enough to create one.
The most popular sites for creating a league are NFL, ESPN and Yahoo. All you have to do is pick a draft date and invite your friends to play with you. Once you have a draft date set, it’s time to plan a fantasy football draft party.
Just like any other kind of party, a good draft party takes some planning. You can always ask your friends for help if you don’t want to take on the job all by yourself.
The Winslow Has Everything You Need
Everyone has heard the phrase “location is key,” and it is absolutely the truth when it comes to throwing a party. The best place to have your fantasy football draft party is at The Winslow Gin House and Eatery in NYC. The Winslow has everything you need so you can focus on your friends and your draft.
The search is often fraught with price gouging, unresponsive establishments and inconvenient locations, but, worry not, The Winslow, just might tick all of your boxes. Conveniently located near Union Square, The Winslow offers a great central location for meet ups of friends coming from different areas.
Semi-Private Space Available to Host Your Football Draft Party
One of the best and easiest spaces to reserve in the East Village and Gramercy area would definitely be The Winslow.
The War Room
Please note all of these areas have their own minimum spends, however, there is no rental fee for any of these spaces.
There are lots of amazing spaces at The WInslow that you can use as a war room for the draft. Depending on the size of your group and the amount of privacy that you want, you can choose from:
The Back Room: a semi-private space that seats 18-20 guests. This works great for a small league with seven to ten teams. There is also a TV if you want to use an automated presentation that works with any fantasy draft sports.
The space can seat up to 20 guests and hold as a gathering space upwards of 30-35 people.
The back room has its own large screen television and guests can control volume levels and climate back there separately from the rest of the bar, pe
rfect for that fantasy football draft strategizing.
This space is perfect for a bit of privacy and exclusivity without feeling alienated from the rest of the bar and its great ambiance and energy.
Communal High Top Area: perfect for larger parties, the area has three large tables that each seat up to nine people. This is a great area, especially if your participants choose laptops over phones to draft or if you have a draft board and do a presentation style draft.
Banquette Seating Section: booth style seating for up to 20 people. Another great option for a draft party, with plenty of seating and table space.
The Nook: an independent communal high top that comfortably holds 10 to 15 guests. This is a great space for smaller groups looking for a quieter area.
The management team and staff are both easy to work with and super responsive, making every step of your party planning a breeze.
Amongst many things, The Winslow is a sports bar, and it does cater to sports fans in style. The have an amazing assortment of English and American craft draught beers as well as a large variety of bottles and cans.
The Winslow is known for its gin, however it doesn’t stop there. It also has an excellent selection of specialty cocktails as well as a pretty deep bench for most spirits. They run their happy hour, which includes amazing drink specials, Monday through Friday. It is always all day until 7pm (unless you throw your fantasy football draft party on a Thursday, in which case happy hour is extended until 8pm).
The happy hour drink specials include: $6 select draughts, $6 Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio, and an $8 Gin and Tonic of the day.
There is something for everyone which makes choosing this bar and eatery for your fantasy football draft and gathering all the easier.
Incredible Food and Drink Options for Your Fantasy Football Draft Party
The Winslow not only has delectable drinks and economically savvy drink specials, but also serves amazing food for your fantasy football draft party.
The menu, designed and curated by Executive Chef Nathan Pauley is creatively delicious. The regular menu has everything from duck legs to scotch eggs while the specialty ordered party food menu is great for large get-togethers.
It has a finger food selection built for large groups and big parties. The party food platter selection has everything from homemade pigs-in-a-blanket, to fish and chips, to cucumber dill tea sandwiches, to chicken wings, to cheese curds.
The Winslow has all the comforts of home, plus made-to-order food catered to your group as well as drinks that so good you’ll scoff at the warm Bud Light you were going to have at your house. All this and then you don’t have to clean up—win/win.
Not only is The Winslow one of the best bars for your fantasy football draft, but any fantasy league is welcome—but they also are a great place to watch sports.
They are known for rugby as they can stream most games, and every year they open early for the Six Nations Tournament, but also show every sport you could hope for including, but again not limited to: soccer (World Cup, Arsenal, Premiere League, streamed matches); football (college, NFL); basketball (college/March Madness, NBA); baseball and more.
It’s everything you like and could want from a sports bar, you know, without being a sports bar. You can get rowdy with your friends on game day, or even bring a date and watch a game while still maintaining a conversation.
Fantasy Football Draft Party Tips
Before your party, one of the best things you can do is invest in a fantasy football draft kit or make your own draft board. This is a great way to keep everything organized and keep your group semi-focused on the task at hand.
Make a reservation for your draft time at The Winslow. Mid week usually works out the best if you are looking for a quieter time. There is complimentary wifi (that is fast), open bar packages, and great party food options.
Get ready for your fantasy football season and have a blast with your friends at NYC’s best gin bar, The Winslow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The Winslow has free Wi-Fi with purchase of food or any beverage.
The Winslow has an amazing semi-private back room that is great for large parties. There are no deposits or rental fees to book, just minimum spend requirement of $600. The minimum does not have to be on one check and any food or drink items you or your guests get goes towards it.
The draught, bottle and can selection of craft beer is extensive at The Winslow. It boasts almost twenty draught lines as well as dozens of bottles and cans. The selection ranges from British to American Craft.
Absolutely! It’s a great spot and one of the best bars to catch Monday Night Football, as it’s one of the more chill options. It also shows all NFL games on Sundays and Thursdays, with select games having sound on. On Sundays they have a live DJ who plays music during halftime and commercial breaks.
This Gin House and Eatery is located directly on the borderline of the NYC neighborhoods of East Village and Gramercy. Considered by many one of the best bar and restaurants in the area or even one of the best bars in Manhattan. It’s convenient to the L, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W trains located in the Union Square Station, as well as having a 14th St bus stop found right outside its doors.
The Winslow would is considered to be sports friendly but not specifically a sports bar. It has several large flat screen TVs but often doesn’t play sound opting to play music in the background. Of course, for major sporting events this changes but The Winslow has all the pros of a sports bar but none of the cons, plus amazing cocktails and food to boot. It has a huge rugby following and shows all Six Nations games in real time as well as streams games with notification upon request. Arsenal fans also do not have to despair over the closing of The Blind Pig as The Winslow shows all Arsenal matches and has a loyal fan base. You name it, they celebrate it—Derby parties: check; Wimbledon specials: all over it; World Cup (soccer and rugby): try and not have a good time; The Masters: it’s on. The Winslow is one of the best spots for watching the game (no matter what game) while enjoying an elevated experience.
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